Multitool Face Off: PM Tests 5 Multitools

Not all multitools are created equalbut that doesn't stop us from oohing and aahing over every one of them we get our hands on. Once the honeymoon ended with these five beauties, we got down to the serious task of testing their pliers and blades. For each tool, we sampled the scissors by slicing through duct tape, then tested the saw blades by cross-cutting a construction-grade 2 x 4. To put the pliers through their paces, we pulled ½-in. staples from red oak. Then we clamped down on a bicycle brake cable and manually yanked the cord until the spinning wheel came to a stop. Our valiant testers incurred a few scrapes along the way, but the results are in. Here they are, in order from worst to best.

The Ripstop contained the smallest and least effective scissors of the bunch. It took four cuts to hack the duct tape, and we had to squeeze with considerably more pressure than with the others.

The saw was also disappointing. The short, stout blade was hard to get started, jumping around and then binding in the kerf. It eventually dug in and made the cut, but was slow going. The pliers, on the other hand, were great. Removing construction staples with them was quick and painless, and the ergonomic grip was easy on the palms, even when squeezing firmly. When clamping the bike brake, spring action in the handle made re-adjusting grip less of a hassle.

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Overall Design

Like the saw and scissors, all the blades on the tool are short and stout. But when used as pliers, a wide 3-in. splay at the base of the handles would make these ideal for larger hands. The blade lock, also a slider, operates more easily than the FliK. Generally, though, the tool works best as pliers. The other components--the screwdrivers, blades, and everything else inside the tool--seemed like an afterthought, and lacked the ingenuity of the pliers' generous grip.

With the SwissTool, a pair of scissors on the smallish side required three cuts to slice duct tape, but outstanding spring action in the grip made snipping a pleasure. The long saw blade was tough to get going and binded quite often, but eventually cut smoothly.

Slightly rounded edges made the pliers' grip downright comfortable, and we removed staples from red oak with ease. We held and pulled the bike cable with no slippage at all--after starting the front wheel spinning, we were able to yank the cable and bring the tire to an abrupt halt.

Overall Design

Still feeling somewhat slighted by Leatherman's supplanting the beloved Swiss Army Knives of our youth, we hoped the Victorinox wouldn't disappoint. Unfortunately, it's clear that these days, Leatherman has the design edge. While the SwissTool's 27 functions outnumber the competition, there's some redundancy (three sizes of slotted screwdrivers) and some garnish (a "cap lifter" and a "crate opener"). The "Plus" package includes a sweet leather holster and a second set of driving bits, which are hex-shanked, like the ones used in a drill's driving sleeve. But none of these bits can be implemented into the SwissTool; instead, they're meant to work in a funky offset driver handle shaped like an Allen wrench. Nice thought, but those bits need to work in the tool--it's supposed to be multi-functional, isn't it?

The diminutive Juice's scissors seemed born to slice duct tape, snipping our sample in two easy cuts. A thin saw blade made a clean, slender cut, with no jamming along the way. In spite of the small handle size, the pliers felt great in our hands when pulling staples. The jaws opened to a surprisingly wide 1-1/2 in., smoothly sliding open and closed. Precisely machined needle-nose tips had no trouble pulling the cable on our bike.

Overall Design

The Juice effectively shrinks a comprehensive tool lineup into a smaller platform, cramming more functions into a handle about a 1/2-in. shorter than the others tested. It's easy to imagine the small size frustrating a pro accustomed to beefier tools, but we could see it performing well as a kitchen drawer tool. Our major complaint was that the sharp blades lack a locking mechanism. The Juice line comes in several colors, and our purple tool's splash stood out well against the chrome. Superficial, sure, but these multi-tools have a tendency to become "misplaced." It's nice to know which one's yours.

Proudly advertising "Fiskars blades," the FliK's scissors sliced easily through the duct tape in two cuts. The huge saw blade dispatched the lumber like a chain saw through Jell-O. The pliers, held in a tight grip to yank the staples, caused a classic multitool complaint: rows of sharp edges and pointy protrusions dug painfully into our palms. The phrase "hurts like hell" was uttered. The jaws were precise, though, as they held the wire admirably under tension.

Overall Design

An unusual sliding mechanism allows the pliers to be opened one-handed, getting ready for work more quickly than with the butterfly approach. However, they tend to jam, and feel disconcertingly like a loose tooth wobbling within the handle. Blade locking and unlocking requires sliding a latch--intuitive, but it needed a firm pinch, resulting in eventual finger fatigue. The overall lineup is comprehensive: Two slotted screwdrivers, a Phillips, a serrated blade and knife complement the blades noted above.

Scissors loaded on a leaf spring were sharp enough to let the Wave slide through duct tape. The saw, while still slightly fat compared to our Silky Hibiki, left a clean kerf in lumber and even made short work of a green twig sacrificed for the sake of testing. The pliers' rounded edges give a grip that could be squeezed hard when removing staples. "It's like squeezin' a pillow!" testers declared. Although the needle-nose comes to a fairly sharp point, the pliers had plenty of jaw surface to get a good grip on the bike cable.

Overall Design

The Wave was our fave. By moving the saw and knife blades to the outside of the handle, Leatherman made a great step forward over earlier butterfly designs--with these, you don't have to flip open the whole pliers apparatus just to access a blade. We also like the interchangeable slotted and Phillips screwdriving heads, which keep the handle from getting cluttered with redundant bits. Easily manipulated blade locks help you close the super-sharp serrated and knife blades without fear of losing a fingertip.